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Chapter 52: _ Screams
The door creaked open, momentarily silencing the classroom. A stern-faced man, Mr. Thorne, the school disciplinarian, stood in the doorway. His eyes scanned the room before settling on
Liam. "Liam Caspian, please come with me. The principal requires your presence in his office."
Huh?
The principal?
My brows furrowed. "Is everything alright,
Mr. Thorne?" I asked with a voice laced with concern.
"Everything is fine," he replied curtly, not meeting my gaze.
Tch.
Even with the fact that I held a higher rank in the school than him, this ugly man had not in the least bit of regard for me.
The students in the class had already began to murmur and gossip. I rolled my eyes but before I could speak further, Liam stood up, his face holding no emotion.
He did look like a kid who wasn’t afraid to see the principal. He nodded once to me and followed Mr. Thorne out of the door, leaving the class even louder.
"Ignore that," I said to the students sternly. "Let’s commence with the class."
Shaking off my worry, I forced myself to focus on the lesson. However, my mind kept wandering back to Liam. Each minute that passed felt like an eternity.
I couldn’t help but worry why Liam was summoned to the office. There was this awkward sensation that was whirling all over me. It was as if I could sense that the day wasn’t meant to flow well.
Just as I was about to wrap up, Mr. Thornberry reappeared, alone.
"Where’s Liam?" I asked.
Mr. Thorne shifted uncomfortably. "The principal wishes to speak with you as well, Ms. Isleen."
Confusion clouded my mind. "But Liam...?"
"He’s fine," Mr. Thorne cut me off. "He’s waiting in the office with the principal."
Me?" I wondered out loud. "But why?"
Mr. Thorne offered no explanation. He simply gestured towards the door and left.
The jerk!
With a heavy heart, I dismissed the class and followed his trail up the stairs with a million questions in my head.
The climb to the principal’s office was filled with silence. The hallway was deserted with sunlight filtering through the stained-glass windows.
Finally, I reached the principal’s door emblazoned with a gold nameplate: ’Principal Blackwood’.
I knocked tentatively and almost immediately, a gruff voice boomed from within,
"Come in."
I entered cautiously to find Liam seated in front of a man whose imposing presence seemed to fill the room. The principal was a portly figure with a bushy salt-and-pepper beard. He looked up from behind a mahogany desk. His gaze, piercing blue eyes under bushy brows, rested on me.
"Please, have a seat," he gestured towards a chair in front of his desk.
I sat down, my eyes darting between Liam and the principal. Liam didn’t seem to be bothered at all, so I heaved a sigh of relief. "Good afternoon, Principal Blackwood," I greeted him with a slight nod.
"Afternoon, afternoon," he replied, gesturing to Liam. "He tells me you’ve... adopted him."
"Yes, sir," I confirmed, unsure of what was to come.
The principal smiled warmly. "That’s— brave of you. A very kind act." He leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers. "I just wanted to offer my condolences to Liam. It’s a tragedy what happened to his brother."
Everyone kept on reminding the boy of his predicament; I thought. Even though they meant well.
Liam, however remained silent, his expression unreadable.
The principal continued, "And I was also curious about his living arrangements. But now that I hear he’s with you, Ms. Isleen, I’m sure he’s in good hands."
The principal was one of the only few who respected me and looked past my past and my omega status in the pack.
Relief washed over me. "Thank you, Principal Blackwood. We’ll be sure to take care of each other."
After a few more pleasantries, we were dismissed. I didn’t say a word to Liam, nor did he do the same.
Outside the office and down to our floor, we noticed the courtyard buzzing with students, enjoying their break.
"They’re on break now?" Liam asked, surprised.
"Yes," I replied, a faint smile playing on my lips. "Why don’t you go play with your friends?"
Perhaps, that would take his mind off of things a bit. The poor boy.
Liam hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "See you in class, Ms. Isleen!" He squeaked before he headed towards the throng of students.
I watched him go, saw him wander around, looking out of place. Truth was, Liam was just exactly like me. Sighing, I returned to class.
On getting there, only a few students were still in and not out for lunch. It was quiet still and I liked it that way. When my stomach grumbled, I knew it was time to get myself lunch too.
So, after a few more moments, I stood up to leave for the school’s cafeteria. However, it seemed as though the universe was against this decision.
"Ahhhhhhhhh!"
Screams and shouts filled the air, followed by noises of running footsteps.
Liam. That was the first thing that came to my mind. He was out there.
My blood ran cold. Panic surged through me as I rushed to the window, her heart pounding like a drum. The schoolyard was in chaos, with students running in all directions, their faces twisted in terror.
"Oh, God," I remarked and was out to surge outside when the students in the class called me back.
Whimpering, "Ms. Isleen?" They chorused. "What’s going on?"
"I’m scared."
"Are vampires here?"
Vampires in broad daylight? I doubted that. It couldn’t be vampires. Something bad had definitely happened but vampires weren’t the inflictors this time.
What exactly is going on in this pack? We had never known peace since we joined this war.
Right now- I was caught in a corner now. I wanted to run out as fast as I could to go get Liam but I couldn’t leave the children all on their own.
"Stay here. Don’t leave. Shut the windows now!" I ordered them.
As soon as they obeyed and the windows were shut, "Stay inside. If you hear any strange sounds, hide. I’ll be back. I have to go get Liam." I said and sprinted out, my heart beat accelerating.
"Ms. Isleen!"
